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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27059449">Amplification</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dralexreid/pseuds/dralexreid'>dralexreid</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dr Piper Bishop [34]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Criminal Minds (US TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Sick Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:07:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,905</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27059449</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dralexreid/pseuds/dralexreid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After a bio-terrorist wreaks havoc in a local park in DC, the BAU has to narrow down the suspects. But will they scrape through without getting infected? And how will one confession tear apart an agent?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dr Spencer Reid/Dr Piper Bishop</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dr Piper Bishop [34]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1972852</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was Sunday. Piper finally had a day off. So, why the hell was she still at work? She eyed the mountain of paperwork on her desk maliciously. “Maybe don’t murder the files.”</p><p>“You know, Gideon never told me there'd be this much paperwork, Jayje.” She accepted the cup of coffee from JJ and leaned back in her chair.</p><p>“It’s worth it though, right?”</p><p>“Every damn day.” Piper laughed. “Why are you still here anyway? Go, be with your son. Be free.” JJ laughed at Piper motioning for her to escape while she still could.</p><p>“Nah, Will’s spending the day with him and I know better than to be between two boys.” Piper nodded slowly until JJ’s cell buzzed. “Okay, thank you. I’ll alert the team as soon as possible. Yes, thank you.” She flipped the cell shut, slipping it into her pocket.</p><p>“What’s up?”</p><p>“We have a case. It’s bad.”</p><p>“How bad?”</p><p>“Remember Amerithrax?”</p><p>“No,” Piper whispered.</p><p>“It’s worse. Can you call Emily and Garcia? I’ll try and reach Derek and Spencer.” Piper nodded dutifully, reaching for her phone. Hotch walked in with a young Asian woman while Piper was on the phone with Garcia. Done with her first job, she rushed up to Hotch’s office. JJ went to update Piper, only to see her already in Hotch’s office being introduced to the doctor and throw something down her throat. She saw Piper nod to something Hotch directed and scramble to her desk with a file in hand. She gave JJ a quick hug before grabbing the keys to her Yamaha downstairs and helmet from under her desk.</p><p>About a half-hour later, Spencer walked into the bullpen, only to see it covered with people in military uniform. Emily and Derek caught up to him. “What the hell is going on?” Derek’s voice was a murmur and they weaved through the crowd to the conference room to meet JJ, a young Asian doctor, Hotch and Rossi. Spencer noticed someone missing, but before he could voice it, Derek repeated the question and JJ explained.</p><p>“Guys, this is Dr Linda Kimura, chief of special pathogens with the CDC. Last night, 25 people checked into emergency rooms in and around Annapolis. They were all in the same park after 2 pm yesterday. Within 10 hours, the first victim died. It’s now just past 7 a.m. The next day, we have 12 dead.”</p><p>“Lung failure and black lesions,” Derek noted from his glance into the file. “Anthrax?”</p><p>“Anthrax doesn’t kill this fast.”</p><p>“This strain does,” Dr Kimura added.</p><p>“What are we doing about potential mass targets— airports, malls, trains?” Emily looked to Hotch.</p><p>“There’s a media blackout.”</p><p>“We aren’t telling the public?”</p><p>“We’d have a mass exodus,” Derek explained.</p><p>“The psychology of group panic would cause more deaths than this last attack,” Rossi continued.</p><p>“Yeah, and if it does get out, whoever did this might go underground or destroy their samples,” Hotch finished.</p><p>“Or if they wanted attention and didn’t get it, they might attack again,” Emily contradicted. “Doesn’t the public have the right to know that?”</p><p>“If there is another attack, there’s no way we’ll be able to keep it quiet. Our best chance of protecting the public is by building a profile as quickly as we can.”</p><p>“What do we know about this strain?”</p><p>“The spores are weaponized, reduced to a respiral ideal that attacks deep in the lungs. Odourless and invisible.”</p><p>“A sophisticated strain,” Rossi noted. “Only a scientist would know how to do that.”</p><p>“These lesions are doubling in size in a matter of hours,” Derek pointed out.</p><p>“It’s not the lesions I’m worried about,” Dr Kimura commented. “It’s the lungs. We don’t know how to combat the toxins once they’re inside. And the reality is, we may lose them all.”</p><p>“The remaining survivors have been moved to a special wing at Walter Reed hospital,” JJ added. “Our offices will become a small command centre and there are already military scientists out there from Fort Detrick.”</p><p>“Reid, go with Dr Kimura to the hospital. Interview the victims. Bishop’s been there for about half an hour so you should be halfway done. Morgan and Prentiss, there’s a hazmat team that will accompany you to the crime scene. Dave and I will keep working on the profile from here. There’s Cipro. Everybody needs to take it before we go.”</p><p>“We don’t know if it’s effective against this strain, but it’s something,” the doctor provided. Spencer popped his in and downed it with a glass of water before leaving with Dr Kimura.</p><p>Piper sat with the next patient. This was the fifth one she’d talked to in the last 20 minutes. They all seemed so normal. One was a mother with a 6-year-old son, the first she watched die while gripping her hand. Her eyes were drained of all life as she kept comforting young men, women and children. The young woman in front of her was beautiful but drained. Her lips were slowly paling, and her eyes became sunken. Piper rubbed the young woman’s hand as she attempted to recall things until the aphasia set in. That was the worst part. Seeing a beautiful life with so much potential reduced to a babbling mess. Piper had tapped out of resolve. But she had one more patient left to talk to. She clapped a doctor on the shoulder, thanking her for her work before trudging over to the next room. As she walked in, she found Spencer gently talking to Abby. Piper silently entered, shaking hands with Dr Kimura again. “Yesterday afternoon, you rode your bicycle to the park,” Spencer spoke softly. “How did the sun feel on your skin, the breeze through your hair? Can you describe for me what you heard and the people that you saw?”</p><p>“It was warm, windy. There were guys…football. Kids… I see free… Me seen fee me.” Abby opened her eyes wide with panic. “Free knee.” Piper’s heart broke and she stepped forward.</p><p>“Hey, Abby. I need you to rest okay. We’re gonna take care of you.” She saw a tear roll off Abby’s cheek and Piper released her. The three doctors stepped outside and Piper sniffled.</p><p>“What’s causing her aphasia?” Spencer asked the doctor.</p><p>“The poison is infecting the parietal lobe, impairing her speech. Some of the other patients displayed the same symptoms shortly before they died.”  Piper swallowed the lump in her throat.</p><p>“None of the drug combinations are working?”</p><p>“The only thing that’s helping them right now is the morphine.” Piper ran a hand through her hair.</p><p>“All of them are absolutely normal.” Piper’s voice wavered. “Um… there was a mother who spent the day with her… um… her son and a few kids playing football. Abby was uh… cycling with a friend.” Piper took in a deep breath and Spencer excused them for a minute.</p><p>“Hey, are you okay?” His golden eyes searched for her watery ones, wishing he could wipe them away.</p><p>“Sorry, I uh… I can do this.”</p><p>“Pipes, how many?”</p><p>“Abby was gonna be my sixth. The uh… the mother died in…” Piper’s voice cracked, and Spencer desperately wanted to wrap her in his arms and tell her everything would be okay. “Don’t worry about me. Do your science-y thing. I’m useless at that anyway,” she scoffed and walked away over to Kimura who just walked out of another ward.</p><p>“38-year-old history teacher. Leaves behind two kids.”</p><p>“That’s 17 out of 25,” Spencer noted.</p><p>“This strain is duplicating every 30 to 45 minutes. It’s poisoning the lungs, causing massive haemorrhaging and organ failure.”</p><p>“Extreme bacterial amplification,” Spencer thought aloud. “Whoever created this had to at some point go to the trouble of testing it. There’s no way this was his first human test run,” Spencer continued but Dr Kimura shook her head.</p><p>“We would have heard about a previous anthrax attack.”</p><p>“Not if it presented itself as something else,” Piper noted, a little life entering her eyes as the doctor nodded and left. Once she left, Piper grabbed the history teacher’s medical chart before calling Garcia to put his name aside for her, as well as his family.</p><p>“Pipes, there’s a media blackout.”</p><p>“So I’ll talk to them when the case is over. But they deserve to know.” Spencer noticed the subtle confidence in Piper. <em>When the case is over. Not if. When. </em>A few minutes passed and Dr Kimura came back.</p><p>“2 days ago, 2 people in 2 separate Baltimore ERs and one person in a Philadelphia ER slipped into comas and died suddenly. Doctors didn’t test for anthrax because the illnesses presented themselves as meningitis, but I think it can be caused by anthrax.”</p><p>“Did they show symptoms that we’re seeing now— the lesions?” Piper asked her.</p><p>“They wouldn’t have if the bodily functions expired as quickly as they did.”</p><p>“How quickly?”</p><p>“All dead within 3 hours of being admitted.” Her heart went still.</p><p>“But the first patient died yesterday at 10 hours.”</p><p>“Here’s the thing—” Spencer explained to Piper. “If they inhaled a higher concentration of the strain, it would cause a quicker death. Organ failure without exterior physical symptoms.”</p><p>“What are their names?”</p><p>“Gale Mercer, 31, Martha Finestein, 48, Albert Franks, 52.” The doctor’s tone was quiet but clear as Piper dialled Penelope.</p><p>“So, what next?” Spencer looked to Piper.</p><p>“We should see if they visited the same place on May 8th. Garcia’ll know what to do.” She relayed the names to Garcia, slightly strengthened by having something to do.</p><p><em>“Gale Mercer made a credit card purchase at the Book Front, owned by Albert Franks.”</em> Piper attempted to breathe evenly as her thoughts spiralled, overwhelming her with a mixture of moral obligation and guilt. Her nerves wouldn’t settle until Spencer brushed against her.</p><p>“Hotch is sending General Whitworth to secure the store. Morgan and Prentiss are going to check it out.” She managed to nod. “He wants us back at the base.” Piper’s eyes widened, obstinacy seeping into her voice.</p><p>“I’m not leaving.”</p><p>“Pipes—" She closed her eyes, breathing in deeply before continuing.</p><p>“I can’t sit at the base and do nothing. You can go back, but I am staying here even if all I can do is provide moral support for them. I have to make sure they’re going to be okay.” He watched her collect herself before charging towards the next ward. Spencer exhaled as he dialled Hotch. About a half-hour later, Piper plopped down next to Spencer in the waiting room.</p><p>“It feels like the plagues of Egypt,” she sighed. “10 scourges created by god.”</p><p>“Plague 6 was unhealable boils believed by biblical scholars to be caused by anthrax.” She scoffed.</p><p>“Never missed Sunday school, did you?”</p><p>“Actually, never been before. How is she doing?”</p><p>“She’s a fighter. Young, strong. Brave too. But she’s started to bleed into her lungs. One of 4 left.”</p><p>“We’re running into another problem. When the next of kin have questions, what do we tell them about the cause of death?” Piper’s mouth drew into a line.</p><p>“That’s a moral equation I do not want to solve. Did you call Hotch?”</p><p>“Yeah. He’s calling his superiors.” Piper closed her eyes, her head leaned on the armchair. “What did you hear from the bookstore?”</p><p>“They ran names of former employees, customers with grievances. No one with the science background we’re looking for. Garcia’s still digging.” Piper nodded; her eyes still closed. “They’re about to deliver the profile. We need to go.” Breathing in deeply, she pushed herself off the armchair, rubbing her bike keys therapeutically.</p><p>At the base, she barely listened to the profile. “Because the locations hit are not symbolically significant, we believe that these attacks are personal. Understanding the significance of these locations will be the key to identifying him.”</p><p>“This personal element strongly indicates a home-grown terrorist,” Emily noted, easily settling into her speciality in terrorism. “Like the Amerithrax case, we believe this is someone from the science or defence community.”</p><p>“That’s why you’re here. We think you may know him,” Hotch said. “He may be one of us.”</p><p>“These home-grown terrorists are myopic zealots,” Piper spat. “Ideologues that believe that their work is of the greatest importance.”</p><p>“He may have preached about the threat of an attack on America,” Spencer continued. “His co-workers would describe him as histrionic, paranoid, secretive.”</p><p>“With all due respect,” a man in an army uniform said, raising his hand. “That’s a little vague. What are we supposed to do with something that generic?”</p><p>“Sir, we’re not finished yet,” Derek explained. “He may have logged excess hours at work in the past weeks preparing for the attack. We believe he’s taken the full dosage of anthrax vaccines over the recommended 18-month schedule and had yearly boosters.” Derek glanced at Rossi next to him.</p><p>“He’s written about the threats of anthrax attacks, published papers. Yet he feels no one is listening. And that angers him.”</p><p>“Now, he may have recently experienced some sort of professional humiliation,” Piper continued. “Like be demoted or fired. Now, that would have been his trigger, the moment he decided to go rogue. And he may have betrayed his loved ones to his cause.”</p><p>“He may be recently separated or divorced,” Hotch added. “This is somebody who knows every detail of the 2001 anthrax attack and has talked about what that suspect did right or wrong. He’s watching the news very closely to see how the country reacts. Please share this with your departments. Thank you.” Piper remained at her desk, staring at nothing while the rest of the team followed JJ into a conference room. She moved into her seat, starting to look up the victims.</p><p><em>Abby Hudson, 17, a sophomore at Kellyville High School, AP Calculus. Eleanor Martinez, 34, married to Hector Martinez, building inspector, 6-year-old son. Daniel Moore, 38, history teacher, de facto relationship with Nathan Adams.</em> Piper choked back a sob, blinking back tears as she stared at the ceiling until she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Pipes is everything—” The dam broke before Emily could finish the question. “Hey, it’s okay.” Soothingly, Emily stroked her hair as Piper cried into her shoulder. They caught more than a few glances. “What are you looking at? Get back to work before I chuck a shoe at you.” Emily scoffed before pulling Piper out of her seat and moving her into Garcia’s lair. She cursed as her cell buzzed. “Hey, Pen, handle her for a sec. I’ll cover for her with Hotch.” Garcia nodded and pulled a sniffling Piper into her comfiest chair.</p><p>Her voice was hollow as she spoke. “I promised them…”</p><p>“What, hun?”</p><p>“That they’d be okay.” Tears flowed freely down her cheek. “I promised I’d take care of them and they’re… they’re gone.” Piper’s eyes were bloodshot. “How do I do this?’ Penelope rubbed her arm.</p><p>“You keep moving. You work your smart butt off and once this case is done…” Piper swallowed uneasily and got up a little shakily. “Hey, not yet. Right now, you’re going to finish a cup of tea and then get to work.” Penelope watched her shoot a trembling smile and went to the office kitchen. She swirled a teaspoon through the caramel liquid when Reid popped up beside her.</p><p>“We have a possible suspect. You in?” Piper twisted her mouth at her cup of tea before pouring it into a takeaway cup.</p><p>“Let’s go.” Spencer filled her in on the ride. The suspect was Dr Lawrence Nichols who had attended a classified hearing with the Subcommittee on Defence and Homeland Security in January ’02. He used to work at the institute but was forced out that same year. “Committee said he was becoming unstable, fanatical which was why they removed him from Fort Detrick and railroaded from other prominent positions.”</p><p>“He fits the profile. Felt like people weren’t listening, had access to the spores, lost a prominent job, got divorced.”</p><p>“Morgan and Prentiss are hitting the hospital.”</p><p>“You didn’t go?”</p><p>“Figured he might have kept case files at home for safekeeping.”</p><p>“Smart,” Piper muttered. Spencer couldn’t tell if she was talking about him or Nichols, but his chest still swelled. As they pulled up to the house, Piper answered her cell. “All right, thanks, Derek. I’m not your—” The line cut off. “Angel,” she finished irritably.</p><p>“Still using the nickname?”</p><p>“Yeah. Maybe I should give him a really irritating one.” Piper smiled softly. “So, the guy just had people over for a charity event last month.”</p><p>“We should look around anyway.” Piper nodded, making to follow when her cell buzzed again.</p><p>“What’s up, Em? You’re sure it’s clean? Kay, I’ll tell Reid. Be safe.” Piper hung up, turning to Reid, but he’d already left. “Spence!” She walked past the rose bushes to look for him. <em>How hard could it be to find a 6-foot-tall doctor?</em> She turned the corner, her eye catching the door, about to enter when Spencer slammed the glass door shut, latching the door shut. “Spence, wha— what are you doing?”</p><p>“Piper, get back. Get out of here, now.”</p><p>“What are you talking—” Piper trailed off as her eyes fell on the broken vial on the floor. “Is that…” She didn’t want to say it. “No…” A pit had formed in the bottom of her stomach. She wanted to curl up into a ball and pretend none of this was happening. She wanted to scream and rip her hair out and cry all at the same time but instead, she stood there, frozen, watching the most precious person to her behind a glass door with a killer disease. Gingerly, she flipped her cell open, telling Hotch everything. Within minutes, Hotch arrived with Dr Kimura and a hazmat team in tow and Piper tore herself away from Spencer to meet him.</p><p>“Any update?”</p><p>“There’s a white powder in the room and the AC was blasting.” Piper’s voice was hollow. “Nichols is dead. Blunt force trauma to his head. Reid thinks he’s been dead 2 or 3 days.”</p><p>“Clean him up and get him in the ambulance fast,” Hotch ordered.</p><p>“Sir, wait. Reid has to stay inside.”</p><p>“Piper, what are you—”</p><p>“I know. I want him out of there too but… he’s our best chance at finding the cure. He’s already infected and I think he has a better chance of survival if he stays inside.”</p><p>“But Pi—”</p><p>“Look, it’s not going to do anyone any good to take him to a hospital.” Piper’s tone reached a higher octave. “I won’t let Spencer become another…” Piper stopped, taking a deep breath. “His best chance is inside.” Grudgingly, he nodded, and Piper trudged back to the door, watching a Decon team enter the house to secure the area. Piper pulled out her cell, dialling his number by memory.</p><p>Spencer heard her voice betray her pretence of confidence. “<em>So, I…uh…managed to convince Hotch. Dr Kimura’s coming in to help you out. And uh… you’re gonna be fine.” </em>She scuffled the grass under her foot as she spoke. <em>“You’re gonna be okay.”</em></p><p>“Of course. I’ve got you.”</p><p>“<em>I’m not gonna be much help, Spence. I’m out here, remember?”</em></p><p>“Physically, yes. Emotionally and more importantly mentally, you’re right beside me.” He heard her take a deep breath.</p><p>“<em>Okay, walk through the scene. Tell me what you see.”</em></p><p>“I see cages filled with dead animals. I see signs of a struggle, probably before Dr Nichols was murdered. Equipment’s missing. There’s a large desk. Clutter all over the surface. But in the corner, There’s a smaller desk. It’s organized, functional.”</p><p>“<em>So, two different workspaces. Maybe he had someone working with him?”</em></p><p>“Maybe. Two sets of handwriting. I’m looking at instructions on how to boil lab-grade broth, sterilize lab equipment, and transfer spores.”</p><p>“<em>Nichols would know all that.”</em></p><p>“He has a partner, maybe even a protege.”</p><p>“<em>You read his file. You know anyone special?”</em></p><p><em>“</em>I… I don’t know.”</p><p>“<em>That’s okay. I’ll call Hotch. Be…” </em>He heard Piper trail. “<em>Hang in there.”</em> The line cut and Spencer was too smart to not understand that he could die today. Piper was right outside, he could call her but his mom, she was alone in Las Vegas. He rapidly dialled Penelope’s direct line.</p><p>
  <em>“Hey, Reid.”</em>
</p><p>“Gee, wow, no, uh… No witty Garcia greeting for me?” He heard her sigh on the other end.</p><p>
  <em>“I can’t be my sparkly self when you are where you are.”</em>
</p><p>“Garcia, do you think you can do something for me?”</p><p>
  <em>“Anything.”</em>
</p><p>“I, uh… I know I can’t call my mom without, uh—” He cleared his throat. “Without alerting everyone at her hospital.”</p><p>
  <em>“What do you need?”</em>
</p><p>“I, uh… I need you to record a message for her in case anything happens to me.”</p><p><em>“Oh, nothing’s going to happen to you. You’re gonna…brilliantly find out who did this and we’re gonna treat this strain.” </em>Spencer laughed, a little too bitterly for his taste.</p><p>“I hope you’re right, but if you’re not, I just— I really want to make sure that she hears my voice.”</p><p>
  <em>“Ok. Just, uh, give me a second. Are you ready?”</em>
</p><p>“Ready. Hi, Mom. This is Spencer. I just, um…” He sighed, a little aware of Dr Kimura entering the house. “I just…really want you to know that I love you and—” His voice hitched, and he cleared his throat. “I need you to know that I spend every day of my life proud to be your son.” On the other side, Penelope’s heart broke at her best friend’s demise. But before she could comfort him, the line went dead.</p><p>“Doctor. How are–how are the patients doing?”</p><p>“Let’s worry about you.”</p><p>“I actually— I feel fine.”</p><p>“Ok, if you feel any pain, I could give you something.”</p><p>“No, I— I’d rather not take any pain medication.” Spencer fidgeted with his fingers, desperate to get back to work.</p><p>“We can at least make you feel more comfortable.”</p><p>“I am comfortable, and I don’t want to take any narcotics.”</p><p>“Okay. Tell me how I can help.”</p><p>“I think the cure for this strain is in here somewhere. Dr Nichols is a former military scientist, which means he’s most likely secretive and most likely a little paranoid. He would have protected the cure and probably would have hidden it from his partners. So, look for something innocuous, something you wouldn't suspect.”</p><p>“All right.” His cell buzzed again, a small smile gracing his face. <em>Piper Bishop.</em> “Hey.”</p><p><em>“Hey, Doc. How are you feeling?” </em>Piper tried her best to inject cheer in her voice.</p><p>“Fine. Actually, I feel fine.” He coughed, harder than intended and Piper heard.</p><p>
  <em>“Spence?”</em>
</p><p>“Yeah, I’m here. Just a little—”</p><p>
  <em>“Don’t you dare lie to me, Dr Spencer Reid! I am not in the mood.”</em>
</p><p>“I’ve seen better days.” He was met with silence weighing.</p><p>“<em>Emily called me. They don’t think the partner was a co-worker. Can you tell us anything else about him?”</em></p><p>“I— I don’t know.”</p><p>“<em>Listen to me, Spence. How long have I known you?”</em></p><p>“3 years.”</p><p>“<em>In those 3 years, I have never seen you question yourself. Spencer, you are the most brilliant, compassionate and perceptive person I have ever met. Don’t start questioning yourself now.”</em></p><p>“Pipes—”</p><p>
  <em>“Don’t Pipes me. Listen. You told me there were two different workspaces, two sets of handwriting. Sets of instructions on how to boil lab-grade broth, sterilize lab equipment, and transfer spores. Why would he write that stuff down?”</em>
</p><p>“Because he wrote it for someone else. Okay, I see a framed photograph of Dr Nichols teaching. I see a… I see a binder with syllabi. Course assignments going all the way back to the ‘70s.”</p><p>“<em>Good. What else?”</em></p><p>“I saw something earlier. I didn't— I didn’t make a connection to it or to the partner, but he has a study on anthrax. He has an annotated bibliography, table of contents. It’s formatted like a thesis and has writing in the margins in red ink, like the way a teacher grades a paper. Now, Nichols wouldn’t have let just anyone in here, but he may have opened his lab for educational purposes, as a teacher.”</p><p>“<em>That’s my genius. I’ll get Garcia on the line. We’re gonna get you out of there.”</em> As Piper switched to Garcia, Reid kept coughing while he read through the paper. “<em>Hey, Spence. Garcia didn’t get anything.”</em></p><p>“Pipes listen to this. ‘This country is woefully unprepared. Every household should have a 2-month supply of Cipro. Hospitals are in need of bio-safety level 4 Decon wings.’ Verbatim to what we heard from Nichols.”</p><p>
  <em>“So, the partner’s adopted Nichols’ views as his own.”</em>
</p><p>“There’s more. The chapters are on setting up triage and mobile emergency rooms. I don’t think this paper was written by a science student. It’s about city preparedness and response.”</p><p><em>“Gimme a sec.”</em> She told Garcia to change the parameters to social studies students— specifically those in public policy and urban planning. <em>“Spence, you did it.” </em>He heard relief flood into her voice. <em>“Penelope got a name. Now get the hell out of there.”</em></p><p>Spencer flipped his cell shut and slipped it in his pocket as Dr Kimura approached. “Dr Reid. You said the cure would be hidden somewhere we wouldn’t suspect. What about Nichols’ inhaler?” Spencer nodded; a weight lifted from his shoulders. He was herded away to be hosed down and Piper updated him face to face.</p><p>“Go help Hotch.”</p><p>“Hotch has plenty of people helping him.”</p><p>“He needs you more than I do.”</p><p>“Spence, I’m gonna see you off to the hospital.”</p><p>“I’m about to get naked so they can scrub me down. Is that something you really want to see?” Red seeped into Piper’s face as she stammered.</p><p>“I’ll, uh… I think I’ll wait outside.” She shot him a thumbs up awkwardly and left the tent. Spencer almost laughed except Kimura held up his arm. Any remaining good spirit drained from his face as he glanced at the cut on his wrist.</p><p>“The rose bush,” he realised.</p><p>^-^</p><p>“How are you feeling, Dr Reid?” Dr Kimura kept an eye on his vitals on the screen. Spencer’s shirt was unbuttoned, and he had tubes running from his nose while Piper gripped his hand, battling the onslaught of tears.</p><p>“My throat’s a little dry. But other than that, I feel… Flee… Feel fin. I feel–I fleel fin. I—”</p><p>“Relax, Spencer,” Piper interjected, terrified as her voice quivered. “Just focus on me, okay.” She wanted to sob at the sight of him so pale. It was her worst nightmare, ten times worse. This wasn’t a bullet or a stab wound. This was a disease. They’d taken a gamble with the inhaler and at this moment, she didn’t care about the unsub, about the potential deaths, just the man lying on a stretcher in front of her. The only thing keeping her together was being strong for him, but even that failed as his amber eyes flickered closed and her browns flooded with tears. “Faster,” she screamed at the driver and kept rubbing his hand. She held his hand all the way to the ER room, letting him leave as she watched him disappear behind the double doors. She collapsed onto the wall next to her, sliding down as she sobbed right there, apathetic to the staring staff. Eventually, her tears dried up and she paced in the waiting room, not giving a damn about how she looked. Finally, Dr Kimura came out, pulling off her surgical gloves, giving her good news and a room number. She thanked her profusely before sprinting to waiting room 2110, halting at Spencer in a white bedsheet, eye still closed. Silently, she padded to the armchair, tucking her legs inside and watching over him until she fell asleep. Spencer’s eyes fluttered awake and he watched Piper snoring gently, her wrist twisted uncomfortably.</p><p>“Careful, your wrist isn’t gonna like that.” Piper’s head slipped off and she blinked sleepily at Spencer.</p><p>“You’re awake.” Spencer tried to nod but it hurt him to move. “Careful.”</p><p>“And there’s jello. Must be my lucky day.” Piper rubbed her face.</p><p>“Yeah.” Piper scoffed at the idea of him being lucky. “Kimura brought it in. Figured this day couldn’t get worse, I guess.”</p><p>“Did they find him?” Piper hummed, unravelling her legs and stretching them out. <em>Like a cat</em>, he noted.</p><p>“Picked the park because he was rejected by a girl. Picked the bookstore because that’s where he used to work in college. They caught him at the train lines. Or so I heard.” Piper smiled softly at him. “I’m glad you’re okay.” She sat, watching him devour the jello. <em>Like a kid on his birthday,</em> she noted, smilingly.</p><p>“That’s the first real smile I’ve seen all day,” he voiced. Piper reddened slightly as she got up.</p><p>“You want some coffee. I want to stretch my legs anyway.”</p><p>“Piper, wait…” Spencer straightened up. “I need… I need to tell you something.” Piper furrowed her brows, but she pulled her chair closer to Spencer.</p><p>“What’s up?”</p><p>“When I was in there… I realised something.” He licked his lips. “That if I died today, I’d miss everything.” Piper smiled. “Not the cases. I’d miss you. Your birthdays, your smiles, your bets and your squabbles with Derek.” He watched the smile fade and felt his grow. Piper’s stomach dropped. <em>No, he wasn’t…</em> “I’m not afraid of death, never have been.”</p><p>“You’re scared of the dark,” she murmured, remembering an old conversation with Derek and Spencer. He snorted gently.</p><p>“I’m scared of the dark, Piper, but I’m terrified of losing you.” Piper’s eyes grew weary.</p><p>“Spence, please—”</p><p>“I’m tired of hiding it. Dr Piper Aubrey Bishop, I’m in love with you.” Her shoulders sagged and before she could reply, Derek and Dr Kimura walked in.</p><p>“You’re real lucky kid. Piper must be some kind of good luck charm.” As though Piper wasn’t uncomfortable already, she fidgeted in her seat while Spencer chuckled.</p><p>“Yeah, guess she is.”</p><p>“Coffee?” she asked abruptly, not waiting for a response. She practically ran out and Spencer felt shattered.</p><p>While Derek helped Spencer to his apartment, he noted that Piper never did come back with the coffee. Derek noticed Spencer’s withdrawn attitude, the lack of cheer on his face, but filed it away as fatigue. Spencer waved Derek goodbye, the latter promising to check up on him later. He sunk into his couch, pulling out his cell as he contemplated dialling her. He re-read her name over and over, as though he needed to memorise it. But he didn’t have to. Her name was etched into his skull, unable to forget it if he tried to. Nor the smell of her hair every Monday morning nor the smile she gave him when he brought her tea nor her laugh at his jokes, even the unfunny ones. He’d never felt as alone as he did now. He felt loneliness in his blood, scratched along his bones repeatedly. He sunk further with every memory that flashed in his head, both good and bad. He remembered how sunken she’d looked after her gunshot wound, how angry she’d been with the sham psychologists, how giddy she’d acted on her birthday, how bloodshot her eyes were after her breakup with Drew, how happy she’d been to be back…<em>home.</em> He’d never stop loving her, he realised as he remembered an old conversation during a group lunch while it started raining heavily outside. Between mouthfuls of stir fry chicken, she’d told him how you never really stop loving someone, you just start loving someone else more. But he couldn’t imagine doing that. Not to her. But as though a pebble had been thrown through the perfectly distilled reflection, the doorbell rang, and the memory faded. Spencer stumbled over to the door, still weak from the disease. He opened the door to see Piper dripping onto the carpet outside his apartment. Her hair was soaked, clung to her face as she clung to her motorcycle helmet. She was breathing hard as though she’d run up the flights of stairs. “The elevator works,” he reminded her.</p><p>“It was too slow,” she rasped. Spencer motioned for her to come in, smiling softly at how she left her boots outside, neatly next to the door.</p><p>“You know, I think Ms Cumberland down the hall is a kleptomaniac. She might steal those.” Piper chuckled as she settled her helmet and a paper package on the kitchen. “Let me grab you a towel.”</p><p>“No, Sp— Reid.” She corrected herself, the transition evident of the giant wall she’d constructed in little under an hour. “You should rest, I know where it is.” She slipped into the bathroom and came back out, done rubbing the water out of her hair. “I uh… I won’t stay long. Um… I didn’t like how we left things. How I left things.” Piper sniffled. She’d been crying, Spencer noticed. Her puffy eyes, the red tinge on her nose.</p><p>“Don’t be. Consider it a moment of weakness. So, what can I do for you, Bishop?” He saw the words sting her, but the emotion was only a brief flash.</p><p>“Well, I never gave you my diagnosis,” she said humourlessly. “Ask me.”</p><p>“What’s my diagnosis, Doc?” He spat the question out bitterly.</p><p>“You’ve got a few uncurable diseases. They’ve never even heard of one person having all of them. The first,” she stepped a few paces closer, “is called I-can’t-wait-long-enough-for-my-partner-to-get-off-the-phone-before-I-enter-an-unsub’s-house-itis. The second is I-just-<em>have</em>-to-wait-until-I’m-on-my-deathbed-to-confess-my-love-itis.”</p><p>“Is there anything else?” It wasn't that Spencer wanted her to leave. But she'd made her feelings about him abundantly clear.</p><p>“Yeah. But the last one’s a self-diagnosis. I’ve got a case of holding-in-my-feelings-for-a-co-worker-so-long-that-I-get-terrified-when-he-finally-confesses-itis. Spencer,” she whispered, less than a few paces away now. “I was terrified. So, I did what I do best. I froze you out and I drove. Do you remember that case in Texas? That kid who was bullied and killed his girlfriend’s dad, the abuser?” He nodded thickly, unsure of where she was going. “That was the first time I drove you somewhere on a bike.”</p><p>“I was about to analyze your vehicular choices— but you stopped me.”</p><p>“That’s why. Because something happens and it terrifies me, so I drive, and I don’t look back. Ever. And I did it today.” Piper was two steps away. “You, in that house, with that disease, I could’ve run. But I didn’t. And for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why I stayed.”</p><p>“Because you’re kind—”</p><p>“No, don’t give me that. I’m not kind,” she spat. “I’m selfish. I pretend that helping others gives me joy but in reality, I run from anything that could ever give me any kind of real happiness. Except,” Piper was a step away. “in this situation, it’s a case of anyone. I ran because I couldn’t handle my feelings for you, Spence. I'm not sure if I still can.” Her voice was just a whisper. “I ran because I’m terrified of us hurting each other. The situation itself becomes a paradox. Because running would only hurt both of us more." She took a deep breath. And then I realised that I didn't run because you’re worth more than any kind of pain." She closed her eyes and Spencer held his breath. "I don't know if I love you, Dr Reid. But no matter how fast I run, I can't get you out of my head. Not your voice." She was trembling, only inches away from him. "Or your smile." It was all he could muster to not look at her lips or notice how close she was. "And this could go wrong in so many ways but I don't want to run away from you. Or from this," she finished softly. Spencer could smell the earthy scent of her hair and for the first time in a long time, he followed his instincts, leaning down to meet her lips. Piper didn't know what was happening, only that she should stop over-thinking and run with it. Her hands pulled his waist closer to her as his hands tangled in her soft dark hair as her lips moved against his. They stumbled backwards, towards his desk and Piper chuckled against his lips. She moaned softly as Spencer pulled gently at her hair. She had no idea what she was doing, only that this felt right and moved a hand to his cheek, softly caressing his jaw as he pulled at her bottom lip. Heat blossomed along her jawline as he tenderly kissed it, moving down to her earlobe. "I brought soup," Piper managed through her befuddled brain, "if you were hungry."</p><p>"Are you?" Spencer said as he moved to her neck, biting softly.</p><p>"No," she breathed, biting her lip as he trailed his hands down to her waist before pulling him up to meet his lips. </p><p>"I've got some Doctor Who CDs if you wanna watch them," he managed between kisses.</p><p>She chuckled, breaking apart just long enough to say, "I've watched it all." Spencer nodded grudgingly before leaning back in. His breath hitched as her hands roamed under his shirt. Piper pulled back. "Is this okay?" Spencer chuckled, answering by lifting her up onto the table. Her nails scraped gently along his back as he kept kissing her.</p><p>"So what do you want to do?" she managed to get out and Spencer pulled back up, a vulnerability in his eyes that Piper hadn't seen since he closed the glass door between them. "What are you thinking?"</p><p>"That this has got to be the best day of my life," he whispered. "I just don't want to screw it up."</p><p>"Right." Piper nodded, pulling away from him. She slid off the table, walking away from him. "We shouldn't rush this." </p><p>"Yeah," Spencer agreed. "I mean, we haven't even had a first date yet," he said, laughing half-heartedly.</p><p>"Exactly. It doesn't make sense," she whipped around, eyes wide. She stared at him for a moment, acutely aware that she looked like a mess, her shirt riding up her waist, her hair still soaked from the rain. "Should I go?" she asked him softly.</p><p>Spencer didn't know how to answer. "Do you want to?" She just shook her head firmly. "Then stay," he pleaded. She looked relieved, then puzzled.</p><p>"Will Mrs Cumberland really steal my shoes?" Spencer laughed before moving to the paper bag she brought. </p><p>"Hungry?" He offered as he moved to the kitchen.</p><p>"Starving." She grinned.</p><p>"I thought you weren't hungry before."</p><p>"Well, I wasn't going to stop you kissing me for chicken soup." He laughed as Piper moved to his bookshelf. "Why do you have a quantum physics textbook?" Spencer poked his head around the kitchen counter. "I mean, I always assumed you already knew everything about it. Also, what's the point of buying books if you can read 20, 000 words a minute and you have an eidetic memory?"</p><p>"Because I have to focus at the same time to memorise it." Piper nodded slowly, grasping the hot bowl of soup before nestling down on his couch.</p><p>“Also, your uh…Mrs Cumberland won’t steal my boots.” Piper tucked her feet into the couch next to Spencer. “Not when you gifted her those flowers so lovingly.”</p><p>“You got me flowers?” Piper laughed at Spencer’s confuddled smile and she wiped away a small trace of soup with a thumb.</p><p>“Technically, you got her flowers which is deeply concerning considering you confessed your love to me less than 4 hours ago.” Spencer gave her a deep chuckle and she lay her head in the crook of his shoulder as she switched the tv onto reruns of Doctor Who while the rain pounded outside.</p>
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<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Sign of the Times</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Derek realises his best friend has gotten himself a girlfriend.</p>
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    <p>Things had changed between them. Derek just couldn’t quite put his finger on it. But he couldn’t explain it without Emily laughing at him.</p><p>Maybe it was in the way they bumped into each other bringing their preferred wake-up drink. He swore foreheads collided as Spencer brought Piper her tea and she brought him hazelnut coffee. </p><p></p><div class="">
  <p>Maybe it was the way they shared small smiles and inside jokes during the briefing. As of today, his favourite out-of-context joke was when the occasional ‘Jesus’ slipped out of Piper’s mouth and Spencer smirked as he delivered his favourite line, that ‘Jesus hasn't been here in a while.’ </p>
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  <p>Or maybe it was how they swapped books on the flight with her complaining that reading that fast wasn’t normal, but mostly her being jealous of his speed. </p>
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  <p>Maybe it was the seamless way they worked together with her innate ability to streamline his thoughts. Or even the way they finished each other’s sentences, catching on to each other’s thought process. </p>
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  <p>Maybe it was how Spencer glared at the detective flirting with Piper despite her obvious disinterest. Or how she held the same angry gaze towards female witnesses flirting with him.</p>
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  <p>Maybe it was the way she fussed over his Kevlar vest or how she kept his flank throughout the chase. Or the way he yelled at her for being reckless in the line of duty. It could have been the way his anger at her melted away when she was safe.</p>
  <p>It was probably the way she promised him that she would be okay. Always. It had something to do with the way she lay her head on his shoulder on the flight back. It was definitely the way they went home together.</p>
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